iChristmas Eve
by Scrollwork
Summary: Things have changed in the last year. With the backdrop of Christmas Eve, Carly decides to take a chance and change things between she and Freddie. One-shot.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own iCarly or any of its characters. Nor do I own the concept of love.

Thanks: I would like to thank KeyLimePie14 for being my Beta on this project.

A/N Hello. I wrote this for Christmas, but it ended up taking quite a while to get it done. I am just never really satisfied with my work. This has a companion piece that I wrote involving Freddie and Sam called iCount Down. It can be read as connected to this story, or separate, but is not needed to be read in order to understand this piece.

This is a one-shot that was split into two for ease of reading.I hope that you read this, and review.

I hope that you enjoy this, and decide to read more of my work in the future.

* * *

iChristmas Eve-

The snow crackled and crunched under her feet as she walked down the sidewalk. The snowfall had been light that year, as it had primarily every year. Nice, white, and fluffy, but not enough to impact traffic conditions. The walkway was coated in a fine dusting of it as she went along her way. She absolutely loved the way it sounded as she stepped on it. _Crunch, crunch, crunch,_ she thought as she made her way through the chill morning air. She had wanted to get up early and spend the morning with any last minute shopping ideas. She usually came up with ideas the day of, and spent it scrambling about trying to get everything set and perfect. Last year, it was matching holiday socks for everyone. The year before, it was baking gingerbread cookies to decorate later that night. This year, they would paint ornaments for the tree; Spencer would love doing that. She tucked a brown lock behind her ear. She had also wanted to pick up an extra last minute gift for someone. A certain someone, in fact. She had seen him gawking at it when they were passing by a camera store the previous day.

...

He had stopped in his tracks, eyes aglow, staring at some new type of lens in the window case.

"Oh, man. That is the coolest lens, ever." His breath fogged up the glass, and he wiped it off before pressing his face against the window, again.

She raised an eyebrow to his actions, highly amused. "What makes that lens different from any of your other lenses?"

"Are you kidding? It's better than all my other ones combined. Having this lens would make filming iCarly so much better. It would be _epic_."

"Epic?"

"Yes, epic." Turning back to the display, he rested his forehead against it once again and let out a big sigh. "I have to have it. I just wish I could afford it."

"Well," she said, while she grabbed his shoulders from behind, "you will just have to wait and save up for it." She began to push him down the way by his shoulders, leading him home.

"How can I save up for it if my mom only gives me eight dollars a month?"

"Well, she just doesn't want you getting on a bus and running away, that's all."

"You could help me, you know." He looked back over his shoulder at her; a smirk ran across his lips. "We could run away together."

She rolled her eyes at the remark, and then gave him a slight shove. "Freddie."

"Sorry."

...

She had made a mental note that day to return to the shop and purchase the lens. She did not know what was so special about it, and very much _did not_ like the price, but could not resist getting it for him. She merely chalked it up to his 'boyish charm', and left it at that. Due to that logic, there she was the next morning, going to the camera shop to purchase the gift for him. She still could not understand why she was walking all the way over there to get something that he had more than a million of. She told herself that it was because she was going out to get some knickknacks for everyone, and that it was on the way. She really, really tried, very much so, to convince herself that that was the reason for the venture outdoors. She had done all the other shopping for things; all that was left was the lens. She trudged along until she reached the little shop.

Inside, she spoke with the man at the counter; he was holding a phone to his ear as he finished telling someone named Carla that he would remember the turkey for dinner. He introduced himself as Fredrick, and began to tell her about all the Christmas Eve sales that they were having. Politely interrupting him, she gestured to the display by the window. He accompanied her over to the glass, telling her that the majority of those items were on sale as well. Pointing at the very one that Freddie had been staring so longingly at, she asked how much its price had been reduced. Unfortunately, that lens was the only one there still at full price. The owner explained that it was not on sale due to the fact that it was the best model of lens they had there. Not even hesitating for a moment, she told him that she would take one.

She left the store smiling, the box held tightly against her chest. When the lens had been purchased, the manager told her that her boyfriend would love it. He must have seen them the other day and assumed that they were together. She never corrected him. She knew that he was going to love it. She hoped, that when he opened the wrapping and saw that she had bought it especially for him, she would get to experience seeing his eyes gleam again. Maybe, if she were lucky, he would give her that look he had especially for her.

It had been a while since he had really given her one of those looks. That look he used to give her when he would pour his heart out to her. Each time he had done that, she would look into his eyes and see something. It was unbridled, unconditional, love. It was his way of saying that he would always be there for her, no matter what. It always was, and she had thought that it always would be. It was quite possible, that all those rejections he had suffered at her hands had finally got to him. He may have just given up on ever having a chance with her at all. Even the times in which he did say anything flirtatious, for example the other day, lacked a sense of seriousness to it. He just did not seem to mean it anymore. The smile faded from her lips, and she began to trudge along again.

Eventually, she reached Bushwell Plaza. Opening the door, she was hit full force with the heat rushing out of the lobby, and the ranting of a deranged doorman. She was not in the mood to listen to Lewbert at the moment. As she made her way across the room, she could hear him yelling about something. Most likely, for getting footprints on his precious mopped floor, or for just being in his line of sight in the first place. She merely relegated the noise to the background, which was much nicer than actually dealing with him. Pressing the button for the lift, she waited for the doors to open. Suddenly deciding that she would rather take the stairs, she spun around as the doors finally did open and began her way up the steps. She thought that she heard Lewbert scream about playing with the elevator. She really just did not care whatever it was he was saying. All she knew at that second was that she needed more time to think things through. By the time that she got to her floor, things had not become any clearer. Crossing the threshold, she saw a tall, lanky figure placing boxes under a large evergreen.

"Hey, Spencer." She sighed as she closed the door behind her.

"Hey, little sister." Dusting his hands off after the obvious exertion of placing presents under the tree, he noticed her expression. He developed an inquisitive one of his own. "Why so glum?"

"Look, I'm not glum."

"You sure do _look_ glum."

"Forget it, all right?" She then stomped her foot for emphasis.

"All right, fine. Say, what's that?"

Glancing down at where he was pointing, she saw that she still had Freddie's present clutched to her chest. "Oh, it's nothing. I'll see you later, okay?" She had made it halfway up the staircase before Spencer called to her.

"When are Freddie and Sam coming over?"

She replied as she sprinted up to her bedroom, "Around six, I think."

Quickly shutting the door behind her, she flopped onto the soft mattress and pressed her face into the pillow. Turning over, she lay there, staring up at the ceiling. Still pressing the camera lens to herself, she wondered again why she put the effort into getting Freddie something like it. She closed her eyes, deciding to take a nap before her best friends came over. Behind her eyelids, images of the past began to dance. It was probably just his 'boyish charm' that made her do it. She just happened to notice it that time. That was all it was. Really, that was all it was. Although, said charm had been becoming more noticeable to her in the past year. In reality, she had begun to notice a great many things about him in the last few months.

...

She had been reaching for a bowl on the top shelf of her cupboard one morning, intending to have a nice bowl of cereal before the other two came over to discuss iCarly ideas. Struggling to reach the only clean bowl in the apartment, she willed her outstretched arm to go just a few inches further. _Why does Spencer never clean the dishes when I tell him to? He always puts them so high, too._ She heard the front door open and shut gently, followed by heavy footfalls going across the living room.

"Hey, is anyone here?"

"In the kitchen!" She grunted, still unable to reach her goal. Up on her toes, she managed to touch the bowl. Just for it to slide further back into the cupboard. She let out a whine, "Stupid semi-circle shaped container thingy." Reaching again to no avail, she felt something behind her.

"Here, let me get that for you."

She saw a hand stretch passed hers to clamp onto the rim of the bowl. His body pressed gently against her back. He probably was not doing it on purpose, but she felt her body tense up nonetheless. The bowl was brought down and placed on the counter in front of her.

"By the way, Carly, it's actually a hemisphere."

His voice was lower than it usually was, in the form of a whisper, with a slight trembling present. She felt the hot breath on the nape of her neck. It felt strange, resting heavily against her skin. Or was it some other thing weighing down on her that made her so uneasy? They stood like that for a moment, neither one daring to move. Was it because they did not want to move, or was it because they were just far too afraid to move? Neither of the two teens really knew the answer. They were waiting for the other to make the first move. She could feel his hips pressed up to hers, and for some odd reason it actually excited her. It was then that she decided to put a stop to it.

Whirling around to face him, she had to tilt her head up a little in order to stare him in the eyes. Apparently, he had got taller and she had never noticed. Her spin had caught him off guard, causing him to take a surprised step backwards. Eyes connected, each tried their best to figure out what the other was thinking. It was not easy. She saw in his eyes the things that he would always tell her. That she was beautiful, intelligent, fun, exciting, wonderful, and every other word there was to describe a woman. There was love in his eyes, but there was also something else. She could not really determine what it was.

She likened it to a desire, to… something. Possibly, maybe, perhaps? Lust? No, that couldn't be it. Then again, they were no longer children. In fact, Freddie was becoming a man, and quite a man at that. She would never admit it to anyone, but she too had felt the tugging of feelings a little less than pure. She felt a tugging at that moment as well, but as with every other aspect of their relationship, it was different. Just like he was, different. Finally gathering the courage to take some sort of action, she responded.

"You're here early."

"I got all my things done already, so I thought I'd drop by."

"But it's only eight."

"Actually," he smirked, "it's eleven. Either you slept in this morning or you were trying to get that bowl for a lot longer than you thought."

Cheeks slightly tinted red, she turned away from his gaze. "How'd you get in here, anyway? The door was locked."

"It wasn't when I got here."

She shook her head. "Spencer. He must have forgotten to lock it. Sheesh, what if someone breaks in?"

"Easy, then I'd protect you."

Eyes rolled, she heaved a sigh. "Yeah, right. Freddie, you couldn't fight off criminals if your life depended on it."

"Don't you roll your eyes at me," he scolded.

"I can roll my eyes at whomever I want, thank you very much. That doesn't mean that I did it to you, or anything."

"You so did."

"Prove it."

"Never mind." He stuffed his hands in his pockets. Backing up, he leant against the kitchen island. "Besides, you _are_ right, Carly."

"About what?"

His brown eyes had a shine to them that she did not recall ever seeing before. "I couldn't fight off criminals, not even to save my own life." He stood up, straighter than he was before. "But, I could. To save _yours_."

She broke eye contact with him in order to study the countertop. She began to draw circles with her finger on the smooth surface. "Freddie…"

He took a step towards her again. "Carly, I…" His voice quivered once again. "I'm going to the studio to check on the equipment, make sure that it's working. You should go ahead and eat your breakfast."

She looked back up to see him gone; sounds of his footsteps fading up the stairs.

...

A gentle rapping echoed in her ears, and she gradually sat up. Wiping the sleep from her eyes, she looked over at her door, from whence the rapping came.

"Who is it?"

"Freddie."

It took a moment for her to register who it was. Groggily, her head swayed back and forth. She blinked a few times before her eyes shot open. It was Freddie. Looking down, she saw that the box was still held in her arms. Scrambling out of bed, she searched for a place to hide it.

"Carly, are you okay in there?"

"Yes! Just a second!" She ran around in a circle, before deciding to just shove the lens under her bed. A place as safe as any, right? She tidied herself up a bit and combed fingers through her hair. "Come in!"

The door opened, and the brown haired boy stepped in. "What's up?"

Clasping her hands behind her back, she assumed a stance of what she thought was innocence. "Nothing. I'm not hiding a Christmas present for you, or anything."

He looked confused. "I… I never said you were."

She wanted to change the subject. "Aren't you here a little early?" She looked over at her bedside clock. "I mean, there are still a few hours until dinner."

"Yeah, well, I finished all the decorating and holiday stuff with my mom. So, I thought I'd come by a little early."

"Freddie, you always come earlier than you're supposed to."

He stiffened a bit, his cheeks red. "What? What do you mean by that? What have you heard?"

She raised an eyebrow. "What?"

With a clearing of the throat, he seemed to calm down. "Nevermind. So, do you want to, maybe, hang out or something for a while? It's still pretty early in the day. It hasn't even turned dark out yet."

"Sure," She went over to check herself in front of the mirror. "I'll be right down, okay?"

"Oh, okay. I guess I'll meet you downstairs."

She came down approximately twenty minutes later, ready to go. Freddie was there, sitting on the couch. He turned and looked over his shoulder when he heard her come down the stairs. He got off the couch and adjusted his coat.

"Did you change clothes?"

She draped her winter coat over the back of the couch. "Obviously." She gestured to her new outfit.

"That's why you took so long?"

"Well, I needed a different look to go out in."

"We're just hanging out for a while. You didn't have to change."

"What, you don't like my ensemble?"

"No, of course I do. I think you look great."

"Do I detect a hint of sarcasm, Mr. Benson?"

"Oh, not at all. Not. At. All."

"By the way, did you call Sam yet? To see if she wants to come hang out, too?"

He walked behind the couch to stand next to her. "I called her before I came over. She said she was busy, I think she was taking her cat to get a picture taken with Santa Claus. She said that she'd see us at dinner, though."

"You asked her to hang out before you asked me?"

"I just figured that I'd call her, then walk over here and ask you." A thought seemed to cross his mind. "Wait, are you possibly jealous, Ms. Shay?"

"What?" An incredulous expression appeared on her face. "I'm not jealous." She picked up her coat, and was about to put it on when Freddie took it out of her hands.

"Here, let me get that for you." He held it as she put her arms through, she buttoned it up. _Always the gentleman_. Her lips curved into a small smile.

"Spencer?" she called, to see if he were still in the apartment.

"I'm in the bathtub!" He stuck his head into the living room for all to see.

"Weren't you just in the bathtub?" Freddie asked.

"I was." He showed them his back scrubber.

"Spencer."

"Yeah, Carly?"

"Are you wearing a towel?"

He looked down for a moment. "No, I am not."

She closed her eyes. "Will you remember to put the turkey in the oven, please?"

"Sure thing! You two have fun… _alone_." Head disappearing, the bathroom door shut.

"Let's get going." She turned towards the front door.

Freddie went ahead and opened it for her. "Ladies first." He bowed and gestured for her to proceed.

She responded with a "Thank you, kind sir." He followed close behind and shut the door.

"A picture with Santa?"

Freddie nodded his head. "Yep. That's what she said."

"Poor, poor, Santa."

...

Above the city, there was a large mass of cloud blanketing the entire sky. Below, two figures walked along a way. She was there, with Freddie beside her. There were not many things to do on Christmas Eve. Most of the stores were closed, those that were still open soon would be. They walked along, not really saying anything to each other. He seemed to be enjoying her company, and she his. It was one of those times of quietness, lacking any awkwardness about it at all. An ambulance rushed by on the street next to them. Its siren sounding, its lights flashing. She wondered what had happened. Another followed soon after. Then a third. Looking at each other, they both shrugged, and went about their way.

At his suggestion, they headed over to the park, which was always open. The trees were bare, and the path was clear of any snow. The park seemed to be completely deserted. She did not mind that fact very much at all. Actually, a small part of her had been hoping that they would be spending time alone on Christmas Eve. She did not expect to be spending so much time with him, however, but it was all right with her. They eventually came across a park bench, on which they decided to rest. They had been walking for quite a while, after all, and a nice sit would do them well.

She sat there next to him, pondering what it was, exactly, that she felt for him. For so long it had been friendship in response to his unrequited love. Now, though, things had seemed to have changed. What precisely the change consisted of, and where it was headed, she had no idea. She turned to watch him sitting beside her. He was himself staring off into the distance, warm breath escaping his lips in wisps of white. She in turn, found herself staring at those lips of his. She began to think to herself how soft they seemed, how tender, how _kissable_. Eyes widening in realization of the thoughts currently flowing through her mind, her head whipped around to look off into the distance as well.

Noticing her jerking motion, he turned to check on her. "Hey, is everything all right?"

"Oh, just a little cold, I guess. That's all." Her voice shook due to nerves, but sounded as if due to chill.

Freddie seemed to hesitate little as he wrapped an arm around her. Using both hands, he began to rub up and down her arms. Appreciating the gesture, she knew that it was only making things worse. The cold really was not the issue, after all. Her cheeks began to redden as her body heated up. Whether it was the rubbing of her arms, or the thoughts running through her head, either way she was sure that it was because of _him_. She felt herself being pulled from the park bench, tugged along by some force. Freddie led her excitedly, to where she did not know. She merely stumbled behind him, trying her best not to trip herself up. The hard concrete path soon gave way to soft white snow, the change in terrain causing her even more difficulty in keeping up. When they got to a large clearing, he let go of her and started gathering snow into his hands. He came up to her and proceeded to dump the fluff upon her head.

Shrieking, she attempted to dust herself off. "Freddie! What are you doing?"

Smiling, he scooped up more snow into his hands, flinging it at her. "I just figured that the best way to warm you up would be a little exercise. That's all."

Snow covering her entire front, she looked at him with her dark eyes. Which were the only parts still visible on her. Shaking her head, she began to move towards him. "Freddie Benson, you are so dead."

He began to back up, smile still on his face, then turned and ran. She rushed after him, snow in hand, throwing it at his back. He stopped and dug his hands into the white powder, heaving it at her when she was near enough. Squealing, she shielded herself, but soon started throwing mounds at him as well. The snow was flying all about as her mind began to wander again.

...

The sun was bright, and the sand warm, as they ran out onto the beach. Freddie, Sam, and she had decided that it was a good time to take to the water. They had laid down their beach towels and bags, and began to shed their outer clothes. She had chosen to wear a nice, sensible two-piece. Neither too extravagant, nor too skimpy. She hoped that Freddie would notice, and maybe give her more than a little attention. He took off his shirt, showing that he had apparently been working out. As she admired his physique, she realized that she had the desire to touch him. She quickly hid her hands behind her back. Crouching down to place her clothes in her bag, she turned back to see him with his eyes wide.

Tracing his line of sight, she saw where his focus lay. Sam, while shedding her outer garments, revealed to them her choice of a string bikini as beachwear. They both watched as she carelessly tossed her pants and shirt on the sand, next to her towel. Stretching her arms over her head, she showed off her slim muscles. Sam seemed completely unaware of the effect she was producing on the nearest male. Basking in all her glory, Carly had no doubt that it was nigh impossible to divert Freddie's gaze. She felt a little annoyed, and embarrassed that she had basically just been outdone by her best friend. She did not expect Sam to wear something like that. She had expected an old one-piece swimsuit that would be rather unspectacular. Something more 'Sammish' in quality. Instead, she looked like a swimsuit model. What was Sam doing wearing something like that in the first place? It wasn't as if she were trying to impress anyone, right? Carly looked down at herself, and felt a little chubby. Maybe she should have started working out.

"Okay, let's get going!" Sam cranked her arm around in circles. "What are you guys staring at? Let's go!"

She ran off into the water. Freddie followed behind, grin on his face. _More like following __**her**__ behind_, Carly thought, pursing her lips. Taking a breath to calm herself, she ran into the water as well. By the time she had got to them, they were already rough-housing in the water. They were yelling and calling one another names. Sam would dunk his head in the water; Freddie would pop up gasping for air. Freddie would knock her over; Sam would pull his leg out from under him. She lounged back in the water, thinking that they were just being the normal Freddie and Sam she knew. That was until Sam jumped onto his back, wrapping her arms around his neck. She thought that it was Sam wanting a piggyback ride, then Sam wrapped her legs around his waist. A wrestling move, perhaps? Her hopes were dashed when the blond subtly nuzzled into his neck. Carly could not believe it. Her best friend, moving in on her _other_ best friend? That was not possible. Sam tightened her grip around Freddie, causing him to sway a bit. _Now she's pushing her… her chest up against his back?_ She looked down again; she knew that even if she were getting curvier everyday, Sam still had more to work with. _That must be where all the food she eats is going to._ Tossing Sam off his back to regain balance, the lone male of the group seemed completely oblivious to her actions. Feeling a tap on her shoulder, Carly spun around. It was a boy, trying to get her attention.

"Hey,"

"Um, hi." She had a feeling she knew what he wanted.

"I was just thinking maybe you wanna go hang out or something." He flashed what was probably his most seductive smile.

She knew what he was driving at, but she was not interested. He was tall, and cute, and any other day she would have jumped at the chance. Not this time. Granted, she was one that liked attention, but she just was not interested. It seemed like the only attention she was craving was being given to another. She quickly, but politely, declined the offer.

"Sorry, but I'm kind of hanging out with my friends right now." She gave him one of her sweet smiles.

"Looks like they're doing fine without you. But if I had a girlfriend like that, man, I'd…"

Not the right thing to say.

"Look," She poked him with a finger. "I'm not interested, just go, okay?"

"Fine," He put his hands up in defence. "forget it."

She did not even notice when the boy walked away. When it was just the two of them, Freddie and Sam did really look like a couple. She looked over to see Sam floating in the water, while Freddie stood over her. She decided to make a move. With an increasing jealousy and feeling of inferiority that she herself was unaware of, she marched up behind him and splashed his back with water.

Jumping in surprise, Freddie turned to see who had assaulted him. "Carly! You scared me!" He smiled his perfect smile to her. "Where have you been, anyway?"

"Oh, just fending off an army of boys asking me to go out with them." She joked.

He snorted. "That doesn't surprise me at all." In response, he received another splash of water, this time to the face. "Hey! You want a water fight? Because, I'll give you one."

"I can't let Sam have you all to herself, now, can I?" She splashed him once again.

Grinning, he approached her. She, meanwhile, started to back up. Charging, he began to toss water at her. Shrieking, she ran away from him, and the battle had begun. They chased each other around, splashing and taunting one another. Eyes meeting frequently, she could feel a little bit of energy coursing between them. It was different from the rough-housing that she had witnessed earlier. It was more gentle and sweet, but just as playful. As she ran from him once again, she felt his arms wrap around her from behind. She felt his chest against her back, and her heart began to race. He might have said something about 'finally catching her', but the sound of her heart beating drowned out everything. She struggled to free herself, but there was practically nothing she could do. The only thing she could do was flail helplessly in his strong grasp and cuddle up to him. It seemed to her as if she fit perfectly in his arms. The words 'made for each other' echoed in her head.

The next thing she knew, he had scooped her up in his arms. He was a great deal stronger than he was a few years prior. His arms were a great deal larger than they were before, and she could feel his muscles pressed up against her. It made her quiver. Lewd thoughts momentarily filled her mind. Face reddening, she tried to shake the risqué images out of her head. She immediately threw her arms around his neck, while he carried her bridal style through the water. She wondered if it felt similar to be carried across the threshold. Embarrassingly, wedding bells were practically ringing in her head before she made them stop. She wasn't ready for that kind of thinking. He lost his balance and they both went plunging into the water. Popping up above the surface, they could not help but start to laugh. They both locked eyes and floated there for a while. The moment was broken by three small words from Freddie.

"Hey, where's Sam?"

The young boy looked around, spotting the aggressive blond on the beach, he pointed her out. "There she is, over by our stuff."

Carly looked over to the shore. There Sam was, sitting on her towel, knees tucked under her chin. She looked forlorn. Freddie, with a worried look on his face, said that he was going to check on her. Carly watched him leave her, to comfort her best friend about whatever was the matter. She lay there, surrounded by the cold chill of the water, as Freddie went and sat down next to Sam. They began talking, and she punched him in the shoulder. Rubbing it sorely, he kept talking to her. Carly saw him grab his towel, draping it around Sam. The usually tough girl looked up at him, and he flashed his uniquely wonderful grin at her. She pushed some hair behind her ear. He put his arm around her to pull her close, and she leant her head against his shoulder.

Carly's eyes widened, and she rushed over to the others. Even with the slight flirting from earlier, Sam was acting strange. She asked what was wrong, to which they responded that everything was all right. It was soon after that, the three decided to clean up and head home. Even with her insistence that they not keep secrets from each other, Carly never found out what it was that Freddie and Sam had talked about that day.


	2. Chapter 2

"You know what? Sam would have loved this."

She snapped out of her reverie. She huffed a bit in annoyance. "I'm sure that Sam's having fun playing with her cat. She's fine."

Freddie had a bewildered look on his face as she stomped off. She could not help but be a tiny iota perturbed by the fact that he was thinking of Sam when he should have been focused on her. Then a bit of guilt struck her. They were best friends, right? She shouldn't have been jealous. She walked a ways over to a clean patch of snow, and lay down on it. Moving her arms and legs furiously, she began to make a snow angel. He eventually came over to watch her process.

"Something wrong, Carly?" Concern creased his face.

She shook her head. "No, yes, it's nothing."

"You sure?" He watched as she continued her work. "You can tell me anything, you know."

"I know. I'm just… not ready, that's all."

"I understand." He looked down at her. She had stopped. "Are you finished?"

"Yes."

"Okay, then." He held out his hand. "Want to go get some hot cocoa back at home?"

"Sure." She took his hand and he pulled her up. They began to walk out of the park.

"You know, I've never seen an angel making an angel before."

They took the long way back to their apartment building. It had become dark by then, and everything in sight was coated in snow. Her breath was even thicker than it had been earlier. The two of them eventually made their way over to Bushwell Plaza once again. She turned around, looking at her footprints in the white powder. The older ones further down the walkway had disappeared, and the freshly made ones were already beginning to vanish. It seemed as though the things behind her eventually went away. He asked her if she were all right. Turning, she gave him a smile to assure him things were fine. She went to catch up to him, listening to the sounds the snow made under her feet.

"Crunch, crunch, crunch," she said aloud as they walked up to the front of the building. He could only smile at her as he held the door, giving a small bow. In the lobby, Lewbert was napping. The two snuck as silently to the elevator as possible. Managing to make it up to their floor without any fuss, she unlocked the door to let them both inside. She could hear clanging in the kitchen as she took off her coat.

"Little sis, is that you?" Spencer sashayed out into the living room holding a hand towel. Wiping his hands, he greeted the two. "How was your day out? _Alone_."

Grabbing the towel out of his clutches, she slapped him with it. "It was fine, thank you for asking. How is the turkey?"

"Turkey?"

"Yes, the turkey! You know, the big dead bird that you were supposed to put in the oven!"

"Relax, sis! I already put it in. It's almost done." He patted his brunette sibling on the head, taking back the rag. "I have the potatoes mashed, the gravy gravyed, and the rest of the food… um, fooded."

She was relieved to say the least. "Great," she sighed. "everything's ready."

"Yeah," Spencer walked over to the tree. "I even set up the hooks for the stockings."

She slapped her forehead. "The stockings! I forgot to get the new stockings!" She had told herself the night before that she would get new stockings for the group. The year before, she had mentioned how she wished that they could have a fireplace in order to hang Christmas stockings on. Her brother, being the artist that he was, had decided to make a fireplace. He also had the idea of making it more artistic by putting it together with a tree. Needless to say, the entire… whatever it was, went up in flames. Including their stockings. They had all decided that it would be best to forgo the fireplace and just hang them on the tree itself. She had been so preoccupied with purchasing the camera lens for Freddie, that she had forgotten that morning to buy new ones. Then, she was too preoccupied with Freddie himself that she had forgotten to buy new ones. Picking up her coat, she made to put it on. "I'll be back in a bit."

"Where are you going?" Spencer asked.

"To go get stockings, of course." She made her way over to the door when Freddie stopped her.

"The stores are probably closed by now, Carly."

"There might be one still open."

"Not one with stockings that are any good."

"But…" she protested.

"Don't worry." Walking to the door himself, he opened it and walked out. "I'll be right back."

She looked to her brother, who shrugged. A few moments later, he was back, and he had something in his hand. Shutting the door, he came over and handed them to her. They were beautiful red stockings, with each of their names embroidered on them. She looked up at him in amazement. "Where did you get these?"

Scratching the back of his head, he looked at his feet. "Well, I made them."

"You?" Her voice was filled with disbelief. "Seriously, where'd you buy them?"

"I didn't buy them!" He flustered. "I really did make them, okay?"

"But, how?"

"I… I took a Mother-Son crafts class with my mom a while back. I thought you might forget, so I made them for you just in case." His face was red with embarrassment.

"Awww, Freddie!" She threw her arms around his neck. "That was really sweet of you."

"Yeah, well." His face grew redder than before. "Just don't tell Sam, okay? I would never live it down."

"I won't."

"Besides, I would do anything for you. I mean it," he whispered into her ear. She blushed. She could not help herself. She felt her heart race and palms get clammy. She nuzzled his neck and inhaled his smell. She did not want the moment to end. In her head, it all sounded like some corny romance novel. Sometimes, though, corny is good.

"Aw, group hug!" Spencer started to approach them, arms wide open. Carly waved him away. It was a two-person-only hug.

Freddie told them that he needed to get back to his apartment, and that he would see them at dinner. Carly, with an excited glee, rushed up the stairs the moment he left. She still needed to wrap his present. She took her time with it, making sure that everything was done perfectly. In fact, she took a full forty-five minutes wrapping her beloved present. Tying the bow, she left it on her bed as she went to change. It took her quite a while to decide on what to wear. She went through dress after dress, finding something nice that Freddie would like. She had finally picked the perfect Christmas Eve dress, and rushed to put it on. While putting on the matching earrings, she heard the door open downstairs. She came down to find the door open and no one in sight. Hearing something in the kitchen, she came to find blond curls and a munching sound.

"Sam! Stop eating the food, there needs to be enough left for everyone."

Sam, turning around, smiled at her. There was ham in her teeth. "Hey Carls. What's up?"

"Nothing, just dinner on Christmas Eve." She walked across the room and closed her front door. "But you won't get to have any if you keep eating it before everyone gets here."

Sam came out of the kitchen, licking her fingers one by one. "Technically, Carls, I've already had some."

"You know what I meant."

"Yeah, fine. I'll stop. At least until the nub gets here."

"Good. He should be here soon…" She smiled a bit. "I hope."

Sam turned to her with a suspicious look on her face. "What's with that smile?"

"What smile?"

"That smile you just smiled when you were smiling."

"There was no smile."

"Carls, I saw a smile. Any reason you're looking forward to seeing the nub?"

"No, of course not."

She watched as Sam stared at the ground, fidgeting. "Nothing's going on right? Nothing I should know about?"

"No. I just want everyone to get here soon so we can have Christmas dinner."

"Oh, okay." Sam turned back to the ham, and began picking at it once more.

"Sam."

"Right! Not until the nub gets here."

There was a knock on the door, and it opened to reveal said nub, with said nub's overbearing mother. "Hello children!" she greeted them. "Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas, Mrs. Benson," they called in unison.

Freddie walked up to the pair of girls. "Hey Carly, hey demon."

"Hey, Freddie," Carly answered. She had high hopes for the evening.

Sam turned around and headed towards the kitchen once again, not even acknowledging his presence. "Dork's here. Let's eat!" She threw her fist in the air.

Everyone made their way to the kitchen. "Wait," Carly had realized something. "where's Spencer?"

"Don't know," called Sam from the kitchen. "He wasn't here when I got in." That very moment, Spencer barged through the door.

"Where were you?" she asked.

He held out a tray. "Groovy Smoothie. Getting smoothies. That were groovy."

"You were buying smoothies?"

He pushed the tray into her hands as he went to put away his coat. "Yeah! Eggnog smoothies!"

"Eggnog?"

"Yeah," Spencer came back and took the tray from her. "I thought it would be a good idea to get one for everybody. It was only for today that they had them."

"How did you even know they were selling eggnog flavoured smoothies?"

He held up his Pearphone. "I'm on the mailing list." He took the tray into the kitchen.

Sighing, she followed her brother to the dinner table. All the food had been set, with the turkey in the middle, surrounded by delicious side dishes. Spencer must have set it before going out. They all sat down, preparing to eat. Freddie was mentioning the sight of the multiple ambulances earlier.

"Yeah, that was probably Frothy."

"Your cat?" Freddie unfolded his napkin.

"Yeah, I took it to get a picture with Santa."

"It?" Carly laid her napkin in her lap.

"Yeah, I thought I knew what it was, but I'm just not sure anymore." Sam started piling mashed potatoes onto her plate. "Anyway, so I took Frothy there, then he just went berserk on Santa's face." Everyone else at the table stared. She continued. "The elves get it off of him, but then Frothy just starts attacking everyone in sight. They had to call a bunch of police, and ambulances. After it was all over, I couldn't find Frothy. Cat just up and disappeared." She poured approximately a gallon of gravy on the potatoes.

"Well," Spencer said, getting up and taking hold of the carving knife, "let's hope it's okay, and somewhere warm. Now, who wants some turkey?" He stuck the carving fork into the turkey and was about to begin carving when it started to move.

"Goodness, what's going on?" Mrs. Benson scooted back from the table. Everyone else followed suit.

"It's possessed!" Spencer held the knife out in self-defence. The turkey shook more and more violently, until something large and furry burst from within it.

"Frothy! There you are!" Sam stood up and picked the cat up. The cat hissed, and true to its name, white froth came out of its mouth. At least, it started out white, and started out in the mouth. Then came various colours, from various places.

"Ew." Spencer choked back his bile.

"Gross." Freddie just stared.

"That is no cat!" cried Freddie's mother. She searched her purse for industrial disinfectant.

"Sam!" Carly covered her mouth.

"What?" She held her pet out at arm's length. "I didn't know it was in there."

"Spencer?" Carly asked.

"Yeah?"

"How long do you think Frothy was in there?"

"I dunno."

"It couldn't have been before you put the turkey in the oven, right?"

"Right."

"Because then—"

"Yeah."

"It'd be—"

"Yup."

"Time to get the emergency turkey from the Benson's?"

"Yup." He nodded his head.

They eventually got around to having their turkey dinner. Only after Mrs. Benson brought over the turkey she made 'just in case', and only after she finished disinfecting them all. The rest of the dinner was uneventful. The food was wonderful, even if Sam horded most of it for herself, and even the eggnog smoothies were delicious. They talked and spent time together until midnight, telling stories, eating cookies, painting ornaments. One could tell how late it was by seeing how much of the ham was left, Sam's doing of course.

Then came the opening of the presents. Everyone was content with what they got. Spencer got some art supplies, Mrs. Benson got some books on how to be a controlling parent, Carly got some nice new outfits, Freddie got some Galaxy Wars statuettes, and Sam got some beef jerky. Freddie also got a bottle of experimental lice shampoo not yet certified by the FDA from his mother, but he was all right with it. After all, it was the thought that counted, he said. He also received a very strong punch to the arm from Sam. That he did not appreciate as much.

Spencer played Christmas music on the stereo as everyone lounged around drinking hot chocolate. Sam and Freddie were standing together, looking at the decorations on the tree. Every once in a while, she would give him a small nudge, and he would just smile back. It was then that Carly motioned for Freddie to follow her. She slipped up the stairs unnoticed; excusing himself, he followed silently behind. She led him to the iCarly studio, where she had him sit down by the window. She told him that she would be right back, and she was. She walked in, holding something behind her back. Sitting down beside him, she gave him a smile.

"Carly, is everything okay?"

"Yeah, of course it is."

"Then, what did you want to talk to me about?"

"Nothing."

"Then, why are you hiding something behind your back?" He tried to peer around her, but she twisted to continuously block his view.

"I just wanted to give you something. In private." She shoved it into his hands. "Here."

"What is it?"

"Just open it."

With a smile, he gently started to unwrap the package. Slowly, he untied the bow. Slowly, he peeled the tape off. Slowly, he unfolded the panels. Too slowly for her taste.

"Just open it, already," she pleaded with him. She could no longer stand the suspense.

"I'm almost done." He finally removed the last of the paper. Looking at it, his eyes lit up. "Carly, this is…"

"That lens that you wanted so badly the other day," she finished for him.

He looked up at her. "This must have cost you a fortune."

"Not really," she lied.

"Thanks." His eyes glowed as she had hoped they would. "But, why?"

"I wanted to."

"You already gave me a present downstairs."

"I know, I just wanted to get it for you. That's all."

"Thanks again." He set the box aside, and took her into his arms. He whispered into her ear, "You're the best, you really are."

Breathing in his scent, a scent that was just his alone, she tried to select her words carefully. Hopefully, they would come out like she had practiced while getting ready earlier.

"Freddie," She pulled away from him. "we need to talk."

"That's weird. Girls usually say that when they're going to dump me. So this can't be good."

"It's nothing like that, really." She was smiling in an attempt to calm him. "Quite the opposite, in fact."

"Then, what is it?"

"Freddie, in the last year, I really noticed that well… It seemed as if things had really changed in the last year."

"What do you mean?" He did not understand, and it was clear on his face.

"I mean, that a few years ago, you would always be going after me, you know? You were always telling me how you loved me, and that I was the only girl for you, and how beautiful I was..."

He interrupted her. "And how smart you were, how talented, how sweet, how kind."

"Yeah, all of that. I guess that I just got used to it all. I just got too used to it. I started thinking that, no matter what happened, you would always be there. Even when you started going out with other girls, I kind of thought that you would still want only me. I thought that you would always be there as a kind of, backup." She saw him frown at the word. "I know that that sounds bad, I know it does. I just thought that you were always a safe bet. I'm sorry. I really am."

"It's okay, Carly."

"No, it's not. You loved me, and I knew that. I just kept stringing you along. I was going to say yes to you one of these days, honest." She saw him raise an eyebrow. "You don't believe me, do you? It's true. I was. I thought that, if things didn't work out with other guys, that in the end, I'd still have you." Freddie opened his mouth to speak. She put a finger to his lips. "Please, let me finish." He nodded. "I realized that it was wrong after a while, but I was so used to it that I let it keep going. Things never seemed to work out with other guys, and you were the only dependable, decent guy there was. I always knew what a great guy you were, and I loved how you were always so sweet and caring. I started developing feelings for you after a while, but I really didn't know how to handle them. I had never felt that way about anyone before. I didn't know what I was feeling, so I never brought it up with you. I wanted to figure out what it was that I was feeling first.

"I never thought that you would ever get serious with other girls, but then you did. I began to get scared. That I might actually lose you to someone else. Someone that treated you better. I actually started to get jealous. I even started to notice how you looked at me differently than before. As if, you were moving away from me, moving on. But, I've decided that I needed to do something. To tell you before you end up with someone else, before you really do give up on me. I know how I feel now. It's something that I realized I've felt for a long time, but could never really understand. I want to be with you. I want to give 'us' a shot. Freddie, I love you."

"Carly, may I talk now?" She nodded her head. "Carly, when I would tell you that I loved you, I meant it. But your constant rejections, they really hurt. I just took it, time after time. With all those guys you went out with, I kept thinking that maybe you'd come to your senses and see that I was the perfect guy for you. It seemed like you never did. You were the one that wanted me to start dating, so I did. It wasn't that bad. After a while, I actually started to give up on you. I figured that that was what you _wanted_. I stopped thinking that I had a shot with you; I was convinced that we would only be friends."

"Friendship's just not enough, anymore," she interjected.

He really did not know how to respond to that comment, so he merely continued. "The truth is, that I stopped trying to impress you so much. I decided that if I couldn't be your boyfriend, then I'd be the best friend you could have. Even with all that, it didn't stop me from loving you. I guess I just _can't_ stop loving you. There were, a few times in the last year, that I thought there might have been something going on between us. I started thinking that maybe, maybe, it could happen. I really didn't want to jinx it by saying anything, though. I don't know." He bowed his head. "I still love you, and I always will. It's just…"

"There's someone else?"

"I love you, Carly, but that can't stop me from falling in love with someone else as well."

"I know that." She ran a finger across the back of his hand. "Does she have a name?" She thought that she might have an idea of who it was.

"I really don't think it matters right now."

"Does _he_ have a name?"

He rolled his eyes. "It's a she."

"Oh. Does she love you too?"

"I never talked to her about it."

She looked out the window at the night sky. "Then she doesn't know…"

"No," He looked out the window as well, the stars twinkled. "I never told her how I feel."

She turned back to face him. "Do you love her more than me?"

His head whipped around. "What?"

"Do you want her more than you want me?" She tried to draw the answer out of him.

"No, I don't. I just… I love both of you. Just in different ways." Looking into his eyes, she saw no signs that he was lying. Maybe he really was in love with two girls.

"Is she, _prettier_ than me?"

"Carly, don't be like that, please." She remained silent. "Look, it's just harder now that you say you want to be with me. Now I have to choose. I don't know how to do that."

"I told you I loved you first, and you don't know how she feels about you. You should be with me."

"It's not that simple, you know."

"It could be if you let it. Maybe you really don't want to be with me." Her head dropped.

He tilted her chin up. "That's not true. I want to be with you. I want to be with her too, though. I know that you were here first and everything, but that's not really how it works and you know it."

"I know."

"If you were in my position, you'd want to think about it too, right?" She nodded her head. "You'd want to make sure that you made the right decision."

"Is there any way to help you make your decision?"

His eyes conveyed sadness. "I can't think of anything. I just have to… figure things out myself."

"Have you kissed her?"

"What?"

"Have you kissed her?"

"What are you trying to do, Carly?"

"I just thought," She played with her fingers. "you could kiss _me_, and see if you feel more than when you kissed _her_."

"Carly, I'm not sure that would be a good way to judge who I want to be with more."

"When you kiss the girl you really want to be with, you'll just feel it."

"Feel it?"

"You'll just know."

"I guess."

"Besides, you'll kiss me anyway. You've wanted to do that since sixth grade, and there's that." She pointed upwards. Hanging directly above them, was something leafy and green. She had planted it before dinner.

"Mistletoe." He looked back down at her and smiled. "You planned this from the beginning."

"Well, everything except the other woman. Otherwise, yeah. I just thought that maybe, you know, you'd consider giving me a chance?"

"Whatever happens, Carly, I want you to know…"

"I know." She slid her hands through his dark brown hair, locking around behind his neck she pulled him closer. Their lips touched. It was a cold winter night in the city of Seattle, with the stars twinkling in the clear night sky. Snow lay on the streets, sidewalks, roofs, and window ledges. Behind a large glass window, covered in fogginess, two young people shared a moment. Neither were ready for what they felt.

* * *

**A/N: Thank you for reading my story. I decided to leave it ambiguous at the end so that the reader could draw their own conclusions. Reviews and constructive criticism are always welcome. Thank you, for reading my work. I hope that you decide to read more of it in the future. Thank you.**


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